There are many holidays to celebrate during the winter months and traditions around these holidays typically span multiple days. They are typically filled with people—family, friends, and community—and while most holidays are full of ritual and tradition, they are also unpredictable and sometimes even chaotic.
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According to buffer.com’s State of Remote Work report for 2021, 27% of remote workers cited not being to unplug as being the biggest struggle with working remotely. When we add holiday expectations and demands into that equation, it can be easy to neglect our own needs, leading to exhaustion and holiday burnout.
To successfully navigate the winter holidays, it’s crucial to protect our mental and physical health. Here are five ideas designed to do just that.
Five Ways to Avoid Holiday Burnout
1) Prioritize sleep
Not only do most of us still have to get on with the business of making a living during the holiday season, but there are also decorations to set out, extra social events, and food to prepare and share. While the number of hours in the day does not increase, the number of things we need to get done each day does.
It can be tempting to find time by shaving off an hour or two of sleep, but it’s a strategy that usually backfires. Some of the short-term problems related to getting fewer hours of sleep include lack of alertness, impaired memory, and a greater likelihood of getting into a car accident, all of which can undermine our ability to function effectively.
2) Get together with a friend or two for no-pressure social engagements
Holidays like Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanza frequently bring us into greater contact with family, both near and far. We may cherish these close bonds, but sometimes our differences also become more apparent when we spend extra time together. This can lead to stress and tensions within the family and may make some family members feel as if they have to be on guard at all times.
Whether you meet at one of your homes, at a local café, or at a park to take a walk (if the weather permits), making time for a no-pressure lunch or coffee break with a trusted friend or colleague can help take your mind off of the additional stress of the season and may provide you with a much-needed outlet for your tension.
3) Reduce projects to their smallest components
During this season, our time and focus can be pulled in multiple directions. Breaking down your projects into their smallest and least time-consuming components helps to prevent you from becoming overwhelmed in multiple ways.
Having several small goals rather than one large goal helps improve motivation and confidence by providing a chance to celebrate the small wins and making large projects appear more manageable. Breaking your project into several shorter steps also allows you to get sections of the project done whenever you have a small parcel of time to work with, an ideal situation for the busy and unpredictable month of December.
4) Watch what you eat
There tend to be higher than average quantities of carb and sugar-laden foods in the winter months. Cookies, sweet pastries, jams, specialty breads, and candies are all popular this time of year. The reason for this is two-fold.
Depression levels tend to rise in winter months, in part due to reduced exposure to sunlight. People are primed to crave sugar when they are slightly depressed as it is quickly converted in the brain to the feel-good hormone serotonin. These traditional winter treats can also help lighten our mood by bringing up positive memories from our past.
Unfortunately, the spike in blood sugar caused by refined carbohydrates and sugars is short-lived and results in a subsequent drop in blood sugar, energy, and mood. You don’t necessarily need to remove carbs and sugars from your wintertime diet entirely, but keeping your intake moderate and balancing refined carbs and sugars with whole grains, vegetables, and healthy proteins will help ensure a more stable energy level and mood.
5) Be kind to yourself
Kindness is one of the central themes of most winter holidays, and it is something we all too often fail to extend to ourselves. While the expectations of others can be challenging to deal with, many of us are held back more by the expectations we place on ourselves.
All too often, we expect ourselves to show up under any circumstances and meet standards we would never impose on another person, then berate ourselves harshly when that standard isn’t met. Remember that you too are human, and have human limits.
Winter holidays can be delightful experiences, a way to celebrate the people we care about, and the values and beliefs that connect us. They can also be contentious affairs, with differing opinions about deeply held values and beliefs that can lead to anger, infighting, and derision. Sometimes they even manage to be both—at the exact same time.
The winter holidays can be a challenge for many of us. Making the time to give yourself the care that you need will help you feel healthy and confident so you can better navigate the winter holidays, many of which span several days.
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About the Author: Cohere member Penny Leigh Sebring is an experienced freelance writer, neophyte speculative fiction author, and a gatherer of information and imaginary friends.